Eat Carbs, Stay Slim

Secret calorie burners

Bread is not your enemy. In fact, you can slash your odds for extra pounds in half if you eat the whole grain, high-fiber carbs versions of your favorite carbs such as bread, cereal, and rice. The proof: In a Harvard study of 74,000 women, those who ate more than two daily servings of whole grains were 49 percent less likely to be overweight than those who noshed on the virtually fiberless white stuff.

The weight-control secrets of high-fiber carbs: They burn more calories during digestion, help you feel full longer, and trigger less fat-storing insulin than refined carbs.